Sri Lanka playing Zimbabwe and Bangladesh all the time does not earn any money. Playing with BCCI is what enables any cricket board earn money. So this filler cricket involving BCCI has been organised so that Sri Lanka cricket board can earn some $ 6.5 millions. As an Indian fan, I am happy if a friendly cricket board seeks help of BCCI to earn money. BCCI, if you think about it, is really a generous board in such matters.

The tournament may be called off. Deadly Buddhist Muslim riots in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Declares Emergency For 10 Days Amid Buddhist-Muslim Clashes

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency for 10 days to rein in the spread of communal violence, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, a day after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island's central district of Kandy.

Tension has been growing between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites.

Some Buddhist nationalist have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.

"At a special cabinet meeting, it was decided to declare a state of emergency for 10 days to prevent the spread of communal riots to other parts of the country," the spokesman, Dayasiri Jayasekara, told Reuters.

"It was also decided to take stern action against people who are instigating violence through Facebook," he added, referring to postings on social media.

The government sent troops and elite police to Kandy after a mob set fire to a Muslim-owned shop, imposing a curfew there on Monday to prevent clashes between majority Sinhalese Buddhists and minority Muslims.

Selecting players for their domestic or IPL exploits will not work at International level. Sri Lankans who looked so mediocre against full strength BCCI side are looking like world beaters because now they get to face a team full of pretenders like Pant, Thakur etc.

There are lots of people who have hyped Pant as the next big thing. If one thinks dispassionately, all his big hittings have come up against mediocre domestic bowlers. Against International bowlers, he struggles to put bat to ball as we saw today and we also saw against west Indies in his earlier T20 match.

Unadkat at least takes wickets against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. What does Pant do ? Now he has been given opportunity in T20 against three weak teams viz West Indies, Sri Lanka and now Bangladesh. He has failed to impress as a batsman despite so many opportunities in non pressure situations. In fact, looking him bat makes me realise that Dinesh Karthik, the much maligned batsman is a vastly superior batsman compared to Pant.

Shardul Thakur Took A Local Train To Go Home After The SA Series But Landed In Our Hearts Instead

Ask any Delhiite about their favourite mode of travel and they will give you over a thousand reasons to travel in a metro or a cab. But, ask a Mumbaikar and he will have a dozen more reasons on why travelling in a local train is possibly the best experience one can ever have.

It's fine if you don't believe our words, but we are sure you will be convinced after you see Shardul Thakur's picture, which is the testimony of the same. After all it's not every day that you spot your favourite crickter travelling in a local train like any other regular guy, after delivering a kickass performance against South Africa.

Clearly, just like us, Shardul Thakur's fans too were left confused after they saw him in the train. In fact, some even searched for his picture on Google to confirm if it's the same right-arm fast paced bowler they think he is.

After getting off his flight, while Thakur could have posed in front of cameras while getting inside a fancy car, he did something totally unexpected and won our hearts with his humility. He went to the Andheri railway station and took a local train to his home in Palghar.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Thakur even joked about how he went from 'business class to first class'. Shardul said that he wanted to get home and had his headphones on, but “I could sense people in the compartment looking at me and wondering whether I really was 'Shardul Thakur'. A few college kids then Googled my picture just to be sure and then asked for a selfie.”

Shardul further said that people were actually amazed to see an international cricketer travelling with them, “Some old-timers were recalling how they've been seeing me in the train for years. But my feet remain very grounded. I have not received anything on a platter and worked hard for it.” Success never came easy to Shardul. But the fact that he overcame all the obstacles, achieved what he wanted and yet never forgot being humble is what makes us feel proud of him. People taunted him, called his names and even tried to break his resolute to become a part of the national team; but Shardul overcame it all and became one of the most hardworking, sincere and best players in the team.

Taking 4-5 wickets in T20 or ODI isn't such a big feat, in my opinion.Batsmen are under pressure to score runs quickly, so they will take risks.If you're the bowler they take on, on your good day, you can pick up wickets.You don't have to necesssarily earn them.

The real value of a bowler in T20 or ODI is his containing ability.If you're bowling that 20th over in a T20 and are defending 8 - and manage to do it, I would rate you very highly.I don't care whether you're wicket-taking or not.

In Tests, it is just the opposite.Batsmen don't HAVE to take risks (unless the match is in a T20/ODI state).A half-decent batsman would play every ball on merit - defending the good ones, or letting them go.This is frustrating for a bowler, because he knows he has to work that much harder to prise the batsman out.So yes, taking 4-5 wickets in a Test innings IS a big deal.

My strength is that I can swing the new ball. I am not focused on bowling at over 140 kph. I’m happy if I can bowl at 137-138 kph and have control over my line and length. It’s also about not going all out always. I get the ball to leave the right-hander. So in the longer format, I just prefer keeping the ball out there and play on his patience. In one-dayers, I start with that same mindset, occasionally holding the ball cross-seam. In the death, it’s all about having skills and executing them. T20 cricket is different, where the situation of the match changes nearly every two balls. You have to be flexible and keep your ego aside. You are making and changing plans out there. I’ve learnt to bowl the knuckle ball over the last one year. I’ve also tried learning the leg-cutter from Bhuvi (Kumar).

You talk about not having received anything on a platter.I had to work hard for everything from the time I graduated from under-19 cricket to the higher levels. But before that, I wasn’t even picked for under-19 in my first year. So I worked harder and got picked the next year. It was a blessing in disguise I think now because it meant I matured very early. I realized you have to face failures. It’s about improving your game and your fitness all the time. The best part is when you go back a second time and succeed where you’d failed before. Somewhere deep inside, I knew I’m the best and that drove me to strive further.

Do you believe you’ve had to prove people wrong at every stage?People would taunt me saying “arey yeh mota hai”. Again I went back and worked harder. I proved them all wrong the next season, taking wickets when the senior bowlers were away. Next, they said he’s not bad with the red-ball but doesn’t have the skills with the white ball. But if you see, there isn’t much T20 cricket in Mumbai, and even when there is it’s played with a red ball. My only experience with the white-ball was during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali, where I’d get a maximum of four matches each in both formats to develop my game, which wasn’t enough. I started practicing a lot with the white-ball then, bowling for the same periods with it as the red-ball. I would replicate match scenarios in practice. Like say with the yorker, I will keep aiming at the base of middle-stump and then try different angles. Whenever there have been doubts over me, I have dealt with them by practicing more.

Those who’ve followed your progress have said that you weren’t always the easiest player to convince when it came to your cricket.I was not a good listener in my teens. There are a lot of instances in my life that changed me as a person. I was really adamant back then and never listened to anyone. It took me a while to get better at it. Like during my under 19s, I had a big argument with the coach. After the game, I realised it was me who’d failed. In my first Ranji Trophy season in 2012, I was not fit enough. I had good stamina when it came to bowling, but my execution of plans or my fielding weren’t up to the mark. Being overweight didn’t help. It’s then that I told myself, I have to listen to people. I will not be right always. I realized there were some good people who wished well for me, and I actually started jotting down things that I realised I had to work on.

Is there one dismissal in the South Africa series where you set up a batsman and finally got him?It was of Hashim Amla in the sixth ODI. He’d let go off 4-5 balls in one over of mine and then swung the last ball for four. Virat (Kohli) was at mid-off and told me if I was confident to slip in a bouncer after just two length deliveries in my next over. He’s gotten out to the short-ball before too. I tried it once and he tucked it for a single, but I did it again in the next over and I had him caught by the keeper down the leg side. It was a perfect setup.

Cracked for 27 runs in his first over of the tournament, having returned to claim 4 for 27 against the same team eight days later, Shardul Thakur has now returned the Nidahas Trophy's best figures, as well as its most expensive over.

He says he doesn't mind a challenge. On Monday's evidence there is little reason to doubt him. Varying his bowling on what was an excellent batting track, Thakur was instrumental to wounding a Sri Lanka innings that was threatening a score in the vicinity of 180. They wound up only making 152 for 9 off their 19 overs.

Thakur's is the latest performance which outlines the depth in India's ranks. In this tournament they are missing Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya, but in Thakur they still found a bowling match-winner. He is used to filling the shoes of better reputed bowlers.

"I have told one thing before: I love challenges," Thakur said. "I am taking it as a challenge. If other senior bowlers are missing from the team, then I have to step up. I have done this previously for other teams that I have played for. I have come in place of Zaheer Khan, Dhawal Kulkarni and Ajit Agarkar while playing for Mumbai. I had to step up in that role. When senior bowlers are rested, I have to step up and fill that role to lead the pace attack."

That leadership, in part, was set off by his cunning. Sri Lanka were flying at 113 for 3 in the 12th over, when Thakur slipped in a special delivery. His knuckle ball, which is delivered without the two fingers behind the seam, dipped a little earlier than batsman Thisara Perera expected, and came a little slower as well. Attempting to blast it over the long-on boundary, Perera could only send it high in the air, to be eventually caught at cover. Then, in the final over, having expected Dasun Shanaka to come down the pitch, another Thakur knuckle ball collected the outside edge of the flashing bat, and was caught by the keeper.

It is a ball that has been used by India bowlers before - specifically by Zaheer Khan, who had more or less pioneered it in the IPL, and also by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"[Zaheer] did it actually, but I didn't watch much of his videos," Thakur said. "I always knew what the grip was, and then I learned it on my own.

"I've been practicing it for a long time. It hasn't come easy. Whenever I found time to play with white ball while playing domestic cricket, I used to try knuckle ball. Probably for two years I've been practicing it now."

Having taken 1 for 25 in the previous game against Bangladesh, Thakur and his knuckle ball have helped India restrict oppositions to sub-par totals in consecutive matches now. By Thakur's estimation, Sri Lanka were about 25 runs short on this pitch.

"If you see, in T20 cricket, you have to be ready for surprises. The first game was a surprise and an eye-opener for us. I got hit for 27 runs, there were some other overs that went for 15 runs. But I felt that the game against Bangladesh and this game, we executed our plans better."

Thakur has come back well after going for 27 runs in his very first over in this series. He has shown some great skills afterwards. Bowling knuckle ball successfully is a tremendous skill. Outwitting the batsmen and not allowing them to collar him in subsequent matches was great to see.

On the other hand, Unadkat appears a hit me kind of bowler. Even tailenders who may never have hit a six in their lives fancy their chances of hitting a six against him. Unless Unadkat improves his bowling drastically, he will remain nothing more than an overpriced IPL bowler.

In batting front, I am happy to see that Pant has finally been dropped after being given more chances than what he deserved. Let him go back to domestic cricket and realise on his own why he was unable to make runs at international level. If he cannot make it out on his own, no one can teach this to him.

This is an article from 2014 when Thakur was at his peak but not selected for India.

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Shardul has the pace for top level: Zaheer Khan

MUMBAI: When any team goes though a 'transitional phase,' it struggles for a while before finding its feet. The best part of this period is that even though a side may get beaten along the way, it does discover a few players who go on to become the 'stars' of tomorrow.

Mumbai, for example, struggled to stay afloat this Ranji season before making a final dash to the knockouts. There is a face in the new-look side, though, who is likely to be more well-known in the coming years: Shardul Thakur, a genuine quick, which is a precious commodity in Indian cricket.Shardul has taken 21 wickets in five games at an average of 26.90, with a five-wicket haul yet to come. Those who have seen him bowl know what this 22-year-old is capable of. Shardul bowls at good pace, clocking above 140kmph at times and swings the ball well. With the old ball, he can 'reverse' it too.

The youngster has managed to impress captain Zaheer Khan, who himself is a great left-arm fast bowler and knows a pace bowling talent when he sees one. "I am particularly very impressed with Shardul. He has got the pace which is required at a higher level. He is very promising. He is someone we should invest in and hopefully we will get some good performances out of him," Zaheer said about Thakur on the eve of Mumbai's quarterfinal tie against Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium.

For Shardul, praise from Zaheer was the best way for the New Year to begin. "I really appreciate it. He has so much idea about seam bowling. He knows which ball to bowl to which batsman in which session. It is a big boost to play with him," the youngster told TOI on Tuesday.

This will be only the second time that Shardul gets to bowl with Zaheer in a Ranji match. "I am so looking forward to it. I will learn so much from him during the match itself," Shardul said. There are a few lessons Shardul has already imbibed from Zaheer in the nets. "He has given a few tips to me. His most important advice was to concentrate on my 'action timing.' If that is good, then you will be able to get wickets on the flattest of tracks.'" Shardul said.

Of course, the results have only started to filter in after a massive transformation this young man went through. Last season, he looked overweight and wayward. This time, a completely different Shardul has turned up at the ground, and the results have been instant.

"I worked hard in the off season, both on my bowling and on my fitness," he explained. He lost as much as 12 kilos and looks leaner and fitter. He has also hit the 'right areas' more often this season.

Cricket, in fact, has never been an easy game for Shardul. He belongs to Palghar-Mahim and played his early cricket in the Tata Steel ground in Boisar. His father takes care of 'agricultural farms.'

"It was difficult to travel from so far everyday, but I managed," he recalled. No one taught him any cricket. "I had no coach Dekh dekh ke seekha. (I looked at others and learned). When I was a kid, I used to watch Dale Steyn and Ajit Agarkar bowl. If I need advice, I go to Dinesh Lad (Rohit Sharma's coach) or Vilas Godbole (Mumbai's U-22 coach earlier)," he said.

squarecut wrote:Thakur has come back well after going for 27 runs in his very first over in this series. He has shown some great skills afterwards. Bowling knuckle ball successfully is a tremendous skill. Outwitting the batsmen and not allowing them to collar him in subsequent matches was great to see.

On the other hand, Unadkat appears a hit me kind of bowler. Even tailenders who may never have hit a six in their lives fancy their chances of hitting a six against him. Unless Unadkat improves his bowling drastically, he will remain nothing more than an overpriced IPL bowler.

In batting front, I am happy to see that Pant has finally been dropped after being given more chances than what he deserved. Let him go back to domestic cricket and realise on his own why he was unable to make runs at international level. If he cannot make it out on his own, no one can teach this to him.

Well said. Pant needs to go back and figure out that he is not cut out yet for international cricket. He is wasting his opportunities.

I suppose that Pant does not know how to drive a car. Or if he does, then he has not driven on mountain roads with steep gradients and curves. One can drive at a high speed in top gear on straight and flat road, but one cannot drive at top gear on an up gradient road on curves. The car will stall. Pant needs to realise this simple fact that batting in international cricket is like driving on more treacherous road, not like driving on straight flat road which is domestic cricket.

Well done, Washington Sundar.Unfortunately for him, he's playing in an era where BCCI has a surplus of quality cricketers.I doubt he'll get too many games to play for BCCI.But he's just 18 - and you never know when Ashwin's form dips - so he could be a very good backup for him.Having said that, there's Jayant Yadav too waiting for his turn.Like I said, lots of quality cricketers waiting for their chance - I don't think I've ever seen BCCI with so much bench strength.